An idea I had on chlaena communication underwater. Any feedback, comments, or suggestions are welcome.
As you all know, mermaids use something akin to whalesong to communicate underwater. However, I had a thought recently while developing my chlaena character.
If chlaenas spend a great deal of time underwater, wouldn't they, too, have some method of submerged communication?
I decided to give it some thought and came up with this: A language based on color changing, patterns of said colors, and signing with tentacles. Otherwise they couldn't really say anything to one another without bubbling it out right in the ear of the listener, or going up to the surface to say it. The basic code would be this:
Color: Mood, or aid of tone
Pattern: Nuances of tone and activity of comment
Tentacles: Details of message, context, and idiomatic expressions
Given that a chlaena has eight tentacles, each one of which is highly dexterous and capable of any number of signals, then combined with a wide variety of hues and patterns, messages could be quite complex, and extremely varied.
Colors correspond with mood and tone to a degree, giving the "feel" of the message. Note that these are general moods, and some shades of these colors can mean entirely different things.
Green: Calm (self), cool confidence and a default color for intellectual or casual conversations, though some shades of it can indicate contempt.
Blue: Calming (other), often used in a friendly conversation, and a darker shade for trying to calm down an aggressive arguer.
Yellow: Mirth/Happiness depending on shade. When a chlaena is joking, one can usually tell by a light yellow that flashes in immobile rings on the tentacles.
Red: Anger, frustration, and certain shades indicate passion. Used when sorely upset, with lighter shades used in mating rituals and couples.
Grey: Neutrality, boredom, sadness. Used to hide emotion on occasion, lighter shades indicating that the chlaena wants to do something exciting or productive.
Brown: Satisfaction, sometimes displeasure for the darker shades. A chlaena sitting back with this color in their tentacles and belly probably has just eaten a good meal, and Ryzelm 'oire traders favor a deep shade of it after a particularly good trade.
White: Curiosity, interest, or used with blue to indicate a want to be helpful. Useful in the market, as a trader with a bright shade of it is probably willing to pay quite a bit for whatever item has caught thier eye.
Black: Deep, deep disgust, hatred, or extreme grief. The deepest shades of it are called "Vemydre 'thal" "Death Onyx" because it means someone is about to be killed, or the chlaena sporting it is going to commit suicide. The flashing yellow and red of alarm follows those with this shade wherever they go.
Patterns:
Depending on the speed of the patterns' movement, these can help with tone, indicate who the emotion is directed at, and aid with the tense of the message when used in tandem with a single tentacle signal. Fast moving patterns indicate urgency or agitation, while slower ones are calming and persistent.
Bands: These can indicate the tone of the message. If they move in ripples toward the tips of the tentacle, the emotion behind the color is directed outward. If they move towards the base of the tentacles, it is directed inward. Example: Blue bands moving outward (You can do this. Don't panic), Blue band moving inward (I'll help you. Trust me.)
Rings: These give any message a sense of ambivalence, or, when flashing, irregularity. Bright yellow, quickly pulsing rings are similar to a human holding in barely-restrained laughter. Dark blue rings, in imitation of the highly venomous, small chlaena, are a calm threat to back off.
Stripes: horizontal stripes on the upper side of the tentacle tend to be a buffer, showing being taken aback, defensive, or ignoring others. Vertical stripes are receptive, showing passive interest, and intent listening.
Swirls: These can be calming or unsettling depending on the colors and speed of the swirls. Slow blue-green swirls are reassuring to others, while fast swirls of red and grey indicate irritation.
Flash: A flash isn't often used, but it is mainly a knee-jerk reaction for intense emotions or surprise. A Flash of bright white and yellow indicates a flare of excitement.
Blend in: Can indicate fear, or simply the desire to not be noticed, depending on the situation.
Tentacles:
These are the main conveyors of the content of the message. A chlaena "speaks" underwater with a peculiar rotary system. The "primary" tentacle will always point towards the subject of the message, and then the system goes in a clockwise fashion. Secondary tentacle indicates, along with a steady band at a certain point of the tentacle, the conjugation and tense of the message. The third tentacle indicates the object of the message, if any. The fourth signals adjectives, the fifth nouns, the sixth verbs, the seventh tense change, and the eighth indicates idiomatic expressions as well as quotations and some miscellaneous data.
In simple messages, tentacles can take the place of body language.
Coils: A defensive gesture, keeping the limbs out of the way of possible violence if tightly coiled, or ready to lash out if loosely coiled.
Pointing towards: The equivalent of leaning into a conversation, this indicates interest or scrutiny.
Pointing away: Disinterest. The chlaena is about to give up on the conversation or wants to be elsewhere.
Flared: Aggression. Coupled with brick-red, this means a chlaena is ready to fight. The extended, inward-curved tentacles form a net to catch the object of their aggression.
Pointed upward: Surprise. Happily surprised usually, as opposed to the sudden, violent retraction of tentacles that indicates being startled, disgusted or terror.
Knotting: Can indicate nervousness or boredom, depending on how fast they knot and unknot. A particularly flustered chlaena can give literal meaning to the phrase "tie oneself in knots over something."
Loose: Calm, casual, stance.
Needless to say, messages can go from incredibly simple emotions to complex, full sentences. Non-Chlaena are usually baffled by the convolutions of the language, and unless raised by them it is unlikely one could ever fully understand the whole of it.
Luminescient colors are used at night, and if another chlaena isn't paying attention or looking at something else, they have several methods of getting it.
Tap: A simple tap on the arm or shoulder serves the same purpose as the human method.
Hum: A loud hum that carries in water for quite a distance, with a varying pitch to indicate distance of the person and a pointed tentacle to show who the speaker wants.
Sucker Pop: Placing two suckers together and pulling them apart quickly produces a clear pop that indicates a vie for attention at a medium distance, and a tentacle points out the person they want in the same manner as the hum.
Teeth Pop: Using the only hard part of a chlaena's body, this is a sharp cracking sound that doesn't carry far at all but is very clear inside a close range. The equivalent of a "Psst."
Subject: Chlaena Communication 
Sun Jul 31, 2011 1:20 pm
